Internet CME Course: MedPEP, the Medical Professionals Empowerment Program (MedPEP) – Episode 5: Managing Your Energy

Activity ID

2945

Expires

January 24, 2025

Format Type

Internet

CME Credit

1.0

Fee

$0

CME Provider: Massachusetts Medical Society

Description of CME Course

MedPEP, the Medical Professionals Empowerment Program, is a Free podcast series jointly provided by Physician Health Services, Inc. (PHS) and the Massachusetts Medical Society.  PHS is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health, well-being and effectiveness of physicians and medical students.

Regulations, technology, organizational complexity, and the explosion of medical knowledge have created a perfect storm for most practicing health professionals. Physician burnout rates now exceed 50%. MedPEP’s star, Dr. Marie Curious, is a young, primary care internist who has started to fantasize about leaving the profession that she loves. On her MedPEP journey, Marie joins Dr. Les Schwab and a group of specialized physicians, coaches, and other experts, who offer a broad range of practical techniques to help her survive and thrive in today’s tough medical environment. The territory they cover includes nutrition, exercise, getting along with difficult colleagues, dealing with bureaucracy and bosses, multi-tasking, system improvement, meditation, and addiction. The MedPEP journey helps Marie, and other health professionals facing similar challenges, gain insight into practical methods for empowering themselves as well as their teams, employers, and the broken system.

After Marie describes her experience with savoring the moment while drinking water — a follow-up activity from the meeting with Dr. Gazelle — Dr. Schwab introduces her to Diana Dill, EdD, who coaches physicians to prevent burnout from feeling stressed and overwhelmed due to unsustainable organizational changes. She points out that people have different stressors and everyone has to assess if they have enough energy to sustain through the day. In the stress management world, energy arousal is measured on a scale of zero to 100; and peak performance can be achieved for two to four hours at a stretch in the mid arousal levels of 40–60. Above 60, one begins to feel frazzled. And at yet higher levels, the body allows only automatic activities, e.g. fight or flight, required for addressing emergency situations. One can, however, modulate the level of arousal energy and bring it in the mid-range periodically with activities such as deep breathing, savoring a moment, etc. that provide a break from sustained high-energy activities. Diana advises Marie to monitor and map out her arousal levels during the course of a day and manage activities both personal and professional using such techniques, enabling herself to think and change the course of action, if and when needed.

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